Bishop Ward invites persons to travel to Wesley’s England
Bishop Ward invites persons to participate in the Wesley Heritage Pilgrimage in March, 2014 in this week’s Connections.
2013 Annual Conference Lay Equalization Plan
Pastors are reminded that due to the new Lay Equalization Plan that was voted on at the 2012 Annual Conference, there is to be only one lay person per appointed clergy from each charge. Annual Conference information will be mailed to all clergy and lay members to Annual Conference the week of April 29. If pastors have any questions regarding this, please contact the Conference Secretary’s Office at: smedlin@nccumc.org.
Peace with Justice offering May 26
Your Peace with Justice Sunday gifts change lives in places where the joy of knowing Christ is mixed with the tragedy of violence. Peace with Justice 2013 is May 26. For resources to highlight the purposes and results of this offering, go to Peace with Justice.
Moms for Moms petition
The Imagine No Malaria advocacy campaign is asking mothers (and others) to sign on to a “Moms for Moms” congressional petition to preserve US government Global Health funding. Global Health funding is being cut and there is a risk of losing the great gains that have made in the fight against diseases of poverty like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV-AIDS. The petition will run from World Malaria Day, April 25 through Mothers Day 2013 and will be delivered to members of Congress. To read more and see the petition, go to Moms.
Carowinds reduces UM Family Fun Day admission to $29.99
Carowinds has now joined Kings Dominion in reducing the admission rate for UM Family Fun Days to $29.99. May 4, 11, 18, 25, 26 & 27 are designated as NC Conference United Methodist Family Fun Days at Kings Dominion and Carowinds. Tickets are available for United Methodists at the significantly discounted cost of $29.99 per person ages 3 and up for those dates. To order tickets for Kings Dominion , go to www.kingsdominion.com/affiliates and type in KDMETHODIST as the username and password. To order Carowinds tickets, go to www.carowinds.com and enter promo code CAMETHODIST at the top right corner of the page. For each ticket redeemed, a $1 contribution is made to Youth Service Fund. For up-to-date Park information, go to Kings Dominion and Carowinds.
Society of St. Andrew releases VBS Resources
“Superheroes of the Faith” is the theme for the Society of St. Andrew Vacation Bible School 2013 mission program designed to be used as a stand-alone program or as a mission emphasis to complement local church VBS curriculums. Students will be introduced to different biblical characters who did amazing things for God, along with related games, snacks, and music ideas. Each day, students will learn how they can use their hands to help feed God’s hungry people. The free download and all the details are available at http://www.endhunger.org/vbs.htm . The Society of St. Andrew is a conference Advance special.
GBOD offers variety of training webinars
Tell of God’s Love; the Small Church Story on a Shoestring. May 7 Start time: 6:30 pm, CDT Duration: 1 hr. You may not have a big advertizing budget and you may be small in terms of attendance. But the story of God’s love for the world is huge and there are many low cost ways to share it! Learn how you can let your community know that God’s love is real in your congregation. For more information: contact Betsey Heavner or call 615.340.7295. Register for Webinar
Has God Been Invited to the Conversation? May 9 Start time: 6:30 pm, CDT Duration: 1 hr There are 3 critical questions for healthy Christians: How do I deepen my personal prayer life? How does the church pray? How do we pray for the community? For more information: contact Betsey Heavner or call 615.340.7295 Register for Webinar
Gen2Gen: Sharing Jesus Across the Generations May 14 Start time: 6:30 pm, CDT Duration: 1 hr Participants in this webinar will explore trends related to the generations in our congregations and communities and learn ways to develop meaningful ministry with adults of various ages. For more information: contact: Carol Krau or call 615.340.7171 Register for Webinar
Committed to Christ: Six Steps to a Generous Life May 16 Start time: 6:30 pm, CDT Duration: 1 hr The newest resource on the Stewardship scene is “Committed to Christ: Six Steps to a Generous Life.” Author Rev. Bob Crossman joins the webinar to share the journey that led him to create this resource and the impact it is having on churches large and small across the UMC. For more information: contact: Ken Sloane or call 615.340.7165 Register for Webinar
For a list of all the webinars planned from now through the summer, go to training.
Dates to remember:
May 1 – All reports to be included on-line and presented at Annual Conference are due to the Conference Secretary’s office. Reports must be submitted via email to: smedlin@nccumc.org and in MSWord format.
May 15 – Registration begins for Duke Divinity School’s 2013 Convocation on the Rural Church to be held Aug. 12-14 in Myrtle Beach. For additional information, visit the event website.
May 18-19 – Change the World Weekend. For information on how to get started, go to Change the World.
June 12- 15 – NC Annual Conference, Greenville, NC.